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    How Writers Work: Finding a Process That Works for You
    How Writers Work: Finding a Process That Works for You
    How Writers Work: Finding a Process That Works for You
    Ebook87 pages1 hour

    How Writers Work: Finding a Process That Works for You

    By Ralph Fletcher

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Unlock the secret to being a writer! Turn to this practical and enjoyable guide by the bestselling author of A Writer’s Notebook and the ALA Notable Book Fig Pudding.

    Surprise! There is no secret to being a writer. But there is a process.

    Good writing isn't forged by magic or hatched out of thin air. Good writing happens when you follow certain steps to take control of your sentences—to make your words do what you want them to do. This book lifts the curtain on how writers work and helps aspiring writers discover their own writing process.

    Perfect for classrooms, How Writers Work is full of practical wisdom. It's tailored especially for young writers, but aspiring authors of all ages can benefit from bestselling writer Ralph Fletcher's tips.

    Everyone can struggle with the writing process at times. Unlock your potential by reading How Writers Work!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateAug 10, 2010
    ISBN9780062014900
    How Writers Work: Finding a Process That Works for You
    Author

    Ralph Fletcher

    Ralph Fletcher has always been a special person for children's literature. He is the author of picture books, nonfiction, and novels for young readers. How to Write Your Life Story is the fifth book in Mr. Fletcher's series of instructional writing books, which includes A Writer's Notebook, Live Writing, How Writers Work, and Poetry Matters. Mr. Fletcher lives with his family in New Hampshire.

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      Book preview

      How Writers Work - Ralph Fletcher

      Dedication

      To Artie Voigt,

      who has always walked with me

      Acknowledgments

      The author would like to give special thanks to the following writers for their contributions to this book: Kristine George, Gordon Korman, Drew Lamm, Ben Mikaelsen, and Jerdine Nolan.

      Thanks also to these student writers for their contributions: Beth Croteau, Casey Gordon, Emily Mintz, Steven Moore, Evelyn Tang, Corey Thom, Tanya White, Jason Wilcox, Wayne Wilson, and Zoë Wollenberg.

      I am indebted to Mark Fischer, Lynn Herschlein, Elise Howard, Don Murray, and Frank Sibberson. Thanks to Marian Reiner.

      Contents

      Dedication

      Acknowledgments

      The Secret of Writing

      1) A Place Where Words Can Grow

      2) Finding an Idea

      3) Brainstorming

      4) A Salad of Ideas by Gordon Korman

      5) Breaking the Ice: Getting Started

      6) Going with the Flow

      7) Interview with Drew Lamm

      8) Rereading

      9) Revision: Radical Surgery

      10) Interview with Ben Mikaelsen

      11) Proofreading

      12) Publishing: Going Public

      13) Writer’s Block and Other Monsters

      Last Thoughts

      Selected Reading

      Books by Ralph Fletcher

      Credits

      Copyright

      About the Publisher

      The Secret of Writing

      Recently I visited a fourth grade classroom. When I walked in, one girl stared at me, totally star-struck.

      I’ve never met a real live author before, she said.

      Have you met any dead ones? I joked. But I understood what she meant. When I was in school, I had no idea how books came into the world. Maybe the librarian wrote them! Authors were just names on the spine of a book. I never thought that writers might be real, live, buttered-toast-for-breakfast kind of people like you or me.

      It’s misleading to think of writers as special creatures, word sorcerers who possess some sort of magic knowledge hidden from everyone else. Writers are ordinary people who like to write. They feel the urge to write, and scratch that itch every chance they have. Writers get their ideas down on paper using particular strategies that seem to work for them. These strategies are available to anyone who wants to be a writer.

      While I was visiting that same classroom, one boy raised his hand to ask me a question.

      "I read your book Fig Pudding, he said. It was sad when Brad died. He paused and gave me a hard look. But then I realized: You wrote the book. You made him die. Why did you make him die?"

      An important moment! For the first time, it had occurred to him that books don’t get hatched out of thin air. Books are written by people who make hundreds of decisions about how to shape their texts. When you write, you, too, will have countless decisions to make: what subject to choose, how to plan and begin, which words to choose, what changes to make, etc.

      Readers should prepare themselves for another important moment, for in the introduction to this book I intend to reveal The Secret Of Writing. I hope you are reading carefully because The Secret Of Writing may surprise you: There is no secret. But there is a process. If you like to write, there are definite steps you can take to help you reach your goals.

      Certain people talk about the writing process as if there is one, and only one, process for writing. Wrong! In one fifth grade class I visited, the students all brainstormed on Monday, rough drafted on Tuesday, revised on Wednesday, edited on Thursday, published on Friday. Writing doesn’t work that way. Some people need less time to prewrite, more time to rough draft. I believe that the idea of a one-size-fits-all writing process has turned off some talented young writers.

      True, there are interesting similarities in how various writers work, but each writer uses a process slightly different from that of other writers. I have listened to hundreds of writers describe how they work, and I’ve been amazed by how many different ways they do it. Some writers draw heavily on their actual experiences; others rely on their imaginations. Some make elaborate outlines before they start a book; others simply start writing. Many writers do a rough draft first and go back to revise later. Others revise as they go. (A few lucky ones claim that they don’t have to revise at all, but I’m not sure I believe them.) For every writer who works one way, you’ll find a writer who works in another.

      So where does that leave you? Free to find your own way of writing, custom-made, a process that works for you. Sometimes you can only find your process through trial and error. If you’re like me, your writing process will probably be a messy one.

      HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

      While every writer is different, I believe we can learn a lot from exploring the various ways writers work. But here’s the problem: We write like we read—in private. The process used by most writers is hidden from view. In this book we’re going to uncloak that process and make it visible. We’re going to take a close look at how writers go about shaping and reshaping their texts. We’re going to talk about prewriting, getting started, going with the flow, rereading, revising, proofreading, and publishing. I’m including several interviews from professional writers whose work you may know, so you can learn exactly how they work.

      Think of this book as a buffet

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